But although it's possible the wording of the sign was nabbed from the US – environmentalists launched a campaign using them last year – some Midlands folk do say "mom" and "mommy" rather than "mum" or "mummy", so it's perhaps not the affront some would like to think.

El Reg is sceptical that a sign teasing people about their parents' lasting involvement in their lives is going to stop would-be litterers in their tracks.

But with the scourge of fly-tipping being what it is, it's probably worth a go. Perhaps someone in Doncaster, Southampton or Sunderland will put one up with the added option of "I am a lily-livered landlubber" to address their problems with dumped boats on the roads. ®